Design coconut picking machine| win £12,500

Eric Frei · 21st August 2009, 11:45 PM

Seems even in India that busting your ass up a palm is simply out of vogue these days.

So the govt has called on innovators to design a machine.

BBC NEWS | South Asia | India seeks genius coconut picker

Quote:

India seeks genius coconut picker

A southern Indian state is offering 1m rupees (£12,500) to anyone who can invent a coconut-picking machine.

A labour shortage in Kerala has reduced the size of the state's once-bountiful coconut harvest.

The offer of funding from Kerala's industries department is open to anyone around the world who can devise a machine to reach coconuts at 30 metres.

The number of coconut pickers in India has declined since the decline of the country's ancient caste system.

Coconuts have to be plucked once every 45 days and those who own the trees are finding it increasingly difficult to find professional pickers.

Many young men now shun coconut-picking in favour of white collar jobs, meaning there is no longer a guaranteed labour force.

The total production of coconuts in Kerala fell from 6,001 million to 5,564 million between 2005 and 2008.

Huge demand

The winning machine must be operated from the ground, Kerala's industries department insists, and must reach 30 metres into Kerala's coconut palms.

It also has to be inexpensive to construct and operate, and easy to move around, the government says.

Industries Minister Elamaram Kareem said current machines that operate at tree level were not good enough.

"We call upon anyone to develop a product that can be used to pluck coconuts standing on the ground.

"Anyone wanting to go ahead with this should submit a design and if it is approved they will be given Rs 1,000, 000 to develop this product," the minister said.

The winning machine was certain to be hugely popular because there would be so much demand for it, he added.

Apocalypsse · 22nd August 2009, 08:13 AM

30m tower with a hoop and net on the end?

stirmantrees · 23rd August 2009, 03:38 AM

a net, and trained monkeys. they go up and throw em down. heck, its what they do already.
bet you if you made the reward enough for the little buggers every tree in india be stripped tomorrow.
that probably would not stimulate the economy though

stirmantrees · 23rd August 2009, 03:40 AM

they can send my reward to tree world as a donation.

Therrin · 23rd August 2009, 03:57 AM

....jetpack?

Jeff Darby · 23rd August 2009, 08:25 AM

Sniper...

...shoot em off

Eric Frei · 23rd August 2009, 09:23 AM

30m from the ground to get coconuts isn't an easy ask as they are in huge bunches. Do you cut and let fall? To just see would be tough, need a camera mounted on the head.

I dont think vibrating the tree will work.

Maybe something like the giraffe they use around power wires would do the trick, sit in the cage though.

Apocalypsse · 23rd August 2009, 09:48 AM

What about a Hilux? Roll it off a cliff into the trees, worked well for those islanders in the ads.

Eric Frei · 10th October 2010, 11:09 AM

Seems no machine can do the job.

Coconut plucking machine contest a washout

Quote:

09 October 2010

Thiruvanantha puram: A machine to replace man for plucking coconuts will remain a distant dream as none of those short-listed at a Kerala contest could present a convincing contraption.

The contest was organised by the Industries Department as an innovative programme. Machines demonstrated by 21 innovators here in the last two days could not scale the tall tree.

An expert committee that assessed the devices presented at the instructional farm of the College of Agriculture here on Thursday and Friday could not find even one that met the criteria prescribed by the industries department.

A spokesman of the industries department said that almost all devices that came up for demonstration were crude and primitive. The panel will meet next week again to see if any of them could be modified to serve the purpose.

The department wanted an easy to handle, safe, commercially viable, energy-efficient and innovative device to replace the fast dwindling number of traditional tree-climbers.

The department invited innovators to develop a device that a farmer could operate from the ground. It wanted a device capable of gathering nuts at heights of 30m and be able to trim palm fronds and clean the bushy crowns of trees. None of the devices could perform these tasks successfully, the spokesman said.

Barring a few, others could not even scale half the tree. One of the devices that could climb the tree fully needed human hand to perform the tasks of a climber. Other machines found the trees either too tall or too curvy.

Over 400 persons had responded to the industry department’s invitation with designs. Out of this 109 were short-listed. From them, a technical committee headed by a scientist from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) selected eight.

They were given `100,000 each to develop the machine. Along with the eight, another 13 participated in the two-day final demonstration. The department of industries has offered a prize of `1m for the best three machines.

http://www.yentha.com/news/view/1/1647

Apocalypsse · 10th October 2010, 12:05 PM

Out of curiosity, how do they currently pick coconuts at that height?

Eric Frei · 10th October 2010, 12:09 PM

They climb up, you know, the rope or rag across the bottom of both feet.

But they are running out of climbers, the young ones wont do it, too hard, probably life is better in a call centre or IT help desk.

Apocalypsse · 10th October 2010, 03:47 PM

Couldn't you just get a 30m mobile tower and invest in making your plantation, you know, safe? Would be soo much quicker with a tower, even just one on a truck. You could get several trees at once, unless the plantation is soo crowded you cant even get a cart down there.

22nd August 2009, 08:13 AM	#2
Apocalypsse Veteran Heritage Status Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Victoria, Australia Posts: 1,152	Re: Design coconut picking machine\| win £12,500 30m tower with a hoop and net on the end?

23rd August 2009, 03:38 AM	#3
stirmantrees Mature tree Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: oviedo, fl Posts: 469	Re: Design coconut picking machine\| win £12,500 a net, and trained monkeys. they go up and throw em down. heck, its what they do already. bet you if you made the reward enough for the little buggers every tree in india be stripped tomorrow. that probably would not stimulate the economy though

23rd August 2009, 03:40 AM	#4
stirmantrees Mature tree Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: oviedo, fl Posts: 469	Re: Design coconut picking machine\| win £12,500 they can send my reward to tree world as a donation.

23rd August 2009, 03:57 AM	#5
Therrin Former Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bakersfield, Ca Posts: 2,497	Re: Design coconut picking machine\| win £12,500 ....jetpack?

23rd August 2009, 08:25 AM	#6
Jeff Darby Moderator - Previously known as JayD Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: TreeWorld, Sydney Australia Posts: 2,059	Re: Design coconut picking machine\| win £12,500 Sniper......shoot em off __________________ Member: Australian Tree Association Join the Australian Tree Association...Have your voice heard ! Arboriculture, A life long study for some, a passing phase for others © Jeffrey J Darby 2011

23rd August 2009, 09:23 AM	#7
Eric Frei Admin - Owner Palm & Tree Services in Brisbane Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane Posts: 12,994	Re: Design coconut picking machine\| win £12,500 30m from the ground to get coconuts isn't an easy ask as they are in huge bunches. Do you cut and let fall? To just see would be tough, need a camera mounted on the head. I dont think vibrating the tree will work. Maybe something like the giraffe they use around power wires would do the trick, sit in the cage though. __________________ Protect your rights to work - Join Australian Tree Association My businesses:- Qualified Brisbane Palm and Tree Lopping \| Stump Grinding Brisbane \| Brisbane - Gold Coast Consulting Arborist

23rd August 2009, 09:48 AM	#8
Apocalypsse Veteran Heritage Status Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Victoria, Australia Posts: 1,152	Re: Design coconut picking machine\| win £12,500 What about a Hilux? Roll it off a cliff into the trees, worked well for those islanders in the ads.

10th October 2010, 12:05 PM	#10
Apocalypsse Veteran Heritage Status Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Victoria, Australia Posts: 1,152	Re: Design coconut picking machine\| win £12,500 Out of curiosity, how do they currently pick coconuts at that height?

10th October 2010, 12:09 PM	#11
Eric Frei Admin - Owner Palm & Tree Services in Brisbane Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane Posts: 12,994	Re: Design coconut picking machine\| win £12,500 They climb up, you know, the rope or rag across the bottom of both feet. But they are running out of climbers, the young ones wont do it, too hard, probably life is better in a call centre or IT help desk. __________________ Protect your rights to work - Join Australian Tree Association My businesses:- Qualified Brisbane Palm and Tree Lopping \| Stump Grinding Brisbane \| Brisbane - Gold Coast Consulting Arborist

10th October 2010, 03:47 PM	#12
Apocalypsse Veteran Heritage Status Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Victoria, Australia Posts: 1,152	Re: Design coconut picking machine\| win £12,500 Couldn't you just get a 30m mobile tower and invest in making your plantation, you know, safe? Would be soo much quicker with a tower, even just one on a truck. You could get several trees at once, unless the plantation is soo crowded you cant even get a cart down there.

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